Wednesday, October 31, 2012

How We Like Halloween

We make these holidays our own, and what we celebrate includes gathering friends, harvest and health, creativity, a smidgeon of mischief, silly thrills, history and art, and pumpkin flavored everything! You cannot be too old to enjoy the levity of tricks and treats. There is no call for gore, or horror, nor stress nor pain.

Halloween.

It's a goof and a spoof.

It's great.

James, old man. What do you say? Shall we rattle some bones, whip up a feast, turn on the fog, and make it a night of frivolous fancy?

Holly brought carnival cake to serve with our spider cider.

I like how this is a celebration that gives our less appreciated creatures, the bats and rats, a chance to step into the limelightmoonlight, to shine.

The Eye-in-Hand icon
manifests the bond between
two essential human functions:
sensing/observation (the Eye)
and doing/acting (the Hand).

- John Dilworth 14 june 2007

An entire family of birds arrived in their finest feathers!
Amira Peacock!

This dapper Ol' Bro' Crow!

And a fabulous Lady Bird.

We said Howdy, to them all!

I cannot imagine giving up the playfulness and good humor of Halloween. I acknowledge, it can get out of hand with commercial nonsense, and dark elements that go far too far. Long live chicken suits, and grass skirts! Long live laughter! We make our traditions, we create our stories, we embrace our beliefs, and I will not surrender the good elements and pleasures of a Happy Halloween.

Seeing Stacy, like this... oh, it made my heart sing! It's her! So delighted and delightful, so giddy to the core.

Gabe points the way to the Magic Kingdom. I love Halloween, because it's a night we dedicate to making our own Happiest Place on Earth. Not because of the frights and scares, but happiness in spite of darkness. We overcome!

Cousins playing together, quilts on straw bales, starry nights... a few of the things I love to see.

Soon William will lead us through his cemetery. Jess gave Robin a tour. William made it such an authentic looking place that we all felt quite respectfully in awe.

Maria's idea for her pirate captain... she should share her gold! Captain Maria carried chocolate gold to pass out to all! No tricks, just treats.

My cousin, Priscilla, brought her sweet princess, Emma. Another treat, for us all.

Tess and I, top hat and elegant skirts, all ready for a night of merriment.

Alex and Bambi, unveiling the Tiramisu. This dark dessert, saturated with espresso, was easily the scariest feature of the night.

It's a good thing the younger, smaller, guests stuck to the salads and less super-charged desserts!

We prepared a buffet entirely made of salads. Garden delights, all.

And friends brought more, like this purple and pea-d potato salad. Love the unexpected colors, the textures, shapes and heebie-jeebie kitchen sensations. Like those oddities, the Piggies William created. Such fun.

In the whole wide world, there are real scares and fears. No doubt there are many who will not find much interest in this year's revelries, and I sympathize. Life takes some balancing, deliberate intention to measure some good with the trials and heartaches. One night, to mock the spooks, and say Boo to the darkness, to laugh in spite of shadows.

Happy Halloween, Lucas. He made his own Invader Zim! Halloween, when we can make ourselves the hero, the protagonist, the conqueror, the lovely bird!

We are not alone. In fact, we are probably more connected than we realize. How cool is that?

Behind those bones... Eli! He made an elaborate, full size skeleton puppet.

Friends around the fire.

Stories in the moonlight.

A goof, and a spoof!

For the goats, too!

Best wishes, comfort and amusement, safety, and some daring, for your Halloween!

15 comments:

I like halloween too though it is going to be creepy around here tonight...at least 25% of the city is without power and that makes for a strange feeling when you are used to lots of lights in a given area...

I expect dark out in the country but not in the city. Oh well, it's all going to be fun!

How did it go, Warren?I think I could handle a dark Halloween...but stepping out into a snowy night!That would be strange for us.Although, we were in Minneapolis for the "Storm of the Century,' Halloween '91. I hope you all found your fun and treats!

Such a glorious celebration; I love that I can really picture it, really position myself there, in my imagination, among you, and enjoying every moment as you all so clearly did. Best for a fun evening tonight, too!

Happy Halloween! So exciting to see Priscilla and Emma here.... it really is such a small world, and the internet connectedness makes it even smaller! (Also, that graveyard looks amazing- and super spooky!)

Oh, yes... I almost forgot!Internet family, all of us!Funny about the graveyard... it's dear and pleasant.I worried it would be a heebie jeebie thing, but it'sactually quite lovely. Of course, I doubt I would be socool and calm if it were actually occupied...

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Liberty, 2013

Chirp-Chirp-Chirp BirdHouse Notes

Sorry. I am practicing freedom of expression:

Wholly shite! I just saw our share of the travel expense for robotics, and I am peeling myself off the floor from sticker shock. In 2 minutes I found 5 highly rated ABNB places where Maria and I could stay for 1/3 the rate. It's not that I am "cheap." It's that I am cheap and have no income, and hope to save for my golden years, or at least put one more kid through college. It's supposed to be inappropriate to talk about money, tacky, I know, but I think it's highly inappropriate to spend beyond my means, or pretend as if I can keep up with the Joneses.

*sigh*

It's not as though it's fatal, but I do feel nauseated.

March 20, 2019

1:29 pm

Instagram... lots of thought about that, and questions. I have the kind of questions about IG that I'd rather not ask aloud, because inevitably it would only demonstrate my insecurity. But here goes... why don't more users demonstrate a little more reciprocity, some like for like engagement, a bit of kindness, gratitude, or even genuine humility? Social media algorithms seem to go right for my jugular, or maybe only my ego.

Laugh out loud: a beautiful woman posted a selfie, with agonizing apologies for doing so, because in her words, "I never do this! I can't believe I am posting a selfie, but sometimes it's ok to be 'out there!'" I thought she was being so modest and humble, and it intrigued me, so I went to her page... and it was true: there were hardly any selfies on her wall, but there was not a single picture that didn't include her. Her entire IG was hundreds and hundreds, adding up to thousands, of pictures of her.

March 20, 2019

12:52 pm

Ten minutes ago I sat down with the intention of blogging. I frequently "intend" to blog. I fancy that I am taking a break, not broken-up. But, once again, I am derailed by something technical and my Google search is not yielding a solution. I sit here, increasingly aggravated, and my shoulder and neck begin to wince and whine, and I ask, "Why? Why pursue this? Is it out of habit? Certainly, by now, I must realize that this blog will not be my career, a literary accomplishment, noteworthy for..." never mind. My point becomes muddled, my thoughts self-deprecating. I miss keeping stories and details, adding to the memory book, and as I get older, I can truly appreciate the practical benefits of the reminders and place holders this blog has created... I will really want to kick myself if I don't continue writing down even small facts, that in years to come will make us smile, or help us keep records straight.

But. As I said... something in iPhoto won't talk to my phone and I can't import pictures. I am so behind. At least, that is how I feel, because I want to be caught up, I want to share all the happy things we have seen, or accomplished, our triumphs, and things we have conquered, tamed, or turned over. I don't feel like it's anything I am obliged to do, it's just what I wish, for my own sense of satisfaction... our pictures, and memories, jotted down and saved, for happiness sake. Sometimes, I feel a bit of relief thinking that as I have been away awhile, most people will have forgotten about Chikebbllog by now (however I spell it) and that I can slip back in and just go on and on about my favorite socks, and how the sweet peas are taking over, and not concern myself a bit that I never did write a book, or talk to Terry Gross.

Maybe I am relieved to not be blogging, because I hate the moment that, inevitably, arises when I feel compelled to share something of the accident, the one back in December. How can I help it? It clouds my head, still, and gives me nightmares, pain, anxiety, and a stutter. Not a very bad one, because I find that if I speak slowly, or not at all, it's not so noticeable. On Saturday, I cried half a day, because I was served another subpoena. It's "only" 2 different hearings/trials, but they keep changing the dates, and then comes a new subpoena. And do you know what troubles me? What will I wear? Because... "first impressions" and all that, and really, I cannot go dressed comfortably, as myself, in jeans and a t-shirt that says "Take a bus, you drunk fool." No. I will have to go and face her and her attorney, dressed as me, myself, and I am sorry to say that I will appear as a gray, fat, old woman, that flinches when doors slam, or cars honk. I would rather stay home.